Engine valve actuating mechanism



March 28, 1961 w, ALLEN 2,976,862

ENGINE VALVE ACTUATING MECHANISM Filed NOV. 9, 1959 IN VEN T OR.

A rromvey 2,976,862 I ENGINE VALVE ACTUATING IVECHANISM Everett W. Allen, Birmingham, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation,'l)etroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 9, 1959, Ser. No. 851,904

4 Claims. (Cl. 123-90) This invention relates to valve actuating mechanism for internal combustion engines and the like and has particular relation to supporting means for the rocker arms employed in such valve actuating mechanisms.

It is proposed to provide a support for each rocker arm that will not only support the shaft on which the rocker arm operates but which will operatively position the rocker arm upon the shaft and without the necessity for using springs, spacers or other means previously employed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of an internal combustion engine employing a valve actuating mechanism embracing the invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the engine with parts of the structure broken away to better illustrate the valve actuating mechanism employed in operating a plurality of cylinders of the engine.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the valve actuating mechanism employed in the engine, particularly in the region of one of the rocker arms of the mechanism. Figure 3 is taken substantially in the plane of line 3-3 on Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows thereon.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view through the valve actuating mechanism at one of the rocker arms of the mechanism and particularly as the latter would appear in the plane of line 44 on Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view through a modified form of the valve actuating mechanism at one of the rocker arms of the mechanism.

The engine 19 embodying the invention includes a cylinder block 11 in which cylinders 12 are provided and the ends of which are closed .by ahead 13 bolted or otherwise suitably secured to the block 1-1. The cylinders 12 are adapted to contain reciprocating pistons 14 and the head 13 is provided with valves 16 controlling the operation of each of the cylinders 12. The valves 16 normally are retained in closed position by springs 17 and are adapted to be opened by rocker arms 18 actuated by push rods 19 embracing valve lifters 21 which run upon cams 22 of a camshaft 23. The camshaft 23 may be driven mechanically from the crankshaft of the engine in timed relation to the operation of the pistons 14.

The rocker arms 18 are supported by a rocker shaft 24 that is supported at each of the rocker arms by supports such as the studs 25. The rocker aims are transversely bored at 27 to receive the shaft 24 so that the arms will oscillate on the shaft in parallel planes. The rocker arms are also provided with elongated openings 28 and the shaft 24 with openings 29, the openings 28 and 29 being aligned openings normally intersecting the transverse openings 27 in the rocker arms 18 and normally intersecting the shaft 24. The openings 28 are elongated in the planes of operating movement of the rocker arms to permit the oscillation of the rocker arms required to operate the valves 16. The openings 29 are adapted to tightly fit reduced ends 31 of the supports 26, the openings 29 being relieved at the inner ends to provide anr 2,976,862 Patented Mar. 28, 1961 ice nular or other suitable transverse shoulders 32 engaging the shouldered parts of the supports 26 adjacent the reduced ends 31. The outer ends of the reduced ends 31 are threaded to receive nuts 33, the outer ends of the openings 29 being also relieved toprovideshoulders 34 against which the reduced inner parts 36 of the nuts 33 are adapted to be tightly engaged.

it will be apparent that the nuts 33 and the studs '26 will rigidly support the shaft 24 by engagement of the reduced ends 31 with the shaft 24 within the openings 29 in the shaft and by engagement of the inner ends 36 of the nuts and the enlarged parts of the studs 26 with the shoulders 32 and 34 formed on the shaft- 24. The parts 36 of the nuts 33 and the enlarged'parts of the studs 26 adjacent the reduced ends 31 also extend within the elongated openings 28 which are narrow enough at the sides to engage and provide a running fit with the reduced ends 36 of the nut and the enlarged ends of the studs 26. Such running fits limit the movement of the rocker arms lengthwise of the shaft 243 to hold the rocker arms in normal valve operating positions.

The studs or supports 25 are secured in alignment on the heads 13 by engaging threaded openings 37 or in any other manner that may be considered preferable.

Figure 5 is a modified form of the valve actuating mechanism which is the same as that previously disclosed except that individual shafts 38 are employed for each of the rocker arms 18 and supports 26.

The rocker arm mechanisms may be lubricated by a supply passage 39 which extends lengthwise of the engine head 13. The openings in which the threaded ends 37 of the supports 26 are secured extend into and. communicate with the passages 39. The supports 26 may have passages 41 formed therein that communicate with the passages 39 and that terminate in transverse openings or ports 42 that are within the bearing surfaces of the rocker arms 18. The oil supplied by the ports 42 will lubricate the bearing surfaces of the rocker arms 18 and the journal surfaces of the shafts 24 and 38.

The claims:

1. In an engine having a block with a cylinder formed therein and a head for said cylinder and a valve mounted in said head andcontrolling said cylinder, a rocker arm operating said valve, an opening extending through said rocker arm transversely of the valve-operating movement of said rocker arm, a shaft extending through said opening, openings extending through said shaft and through said rocker arm on the inside and the outside of said shaft and intersecting said shaft opening, said intersecting openings in said rocker arm being larger than said intersecting opening in said shaft and being elongated in the plane of said valve operating movement of said rocker arm, a support for said rocker arm having a reduced end extending through said intersecting opening in said shaft and closely fitting said intersecting opening in said shaft and providing a shoulder adjacent said reduced end. engaging a plane annular surface on said shaft at the inner extremity of said intersecting opening in said shaft, a nut engaging the outer end of said reduced end and having a part projecting into the outside one of said elongated intersecting openings and engaging an annular plane surface on said shaft at the outer end of said intersecting opening in said shaft, said elongated intersecting openings being of sufiicient length transversely of said shaft to permit said valve operating movement of said rocker arm on said shaft, said elongated intersecting opening in said rocker arm on the inside of said shaft being narrow enough longitudinally of said shaft to provide bearing engagement with said support inwardly of said reduced end, and means for operating said rocker arm for operating said valve.

2. In an engine having a block with a cylinder formed therein and a head for said cylinder and a valve mounted in said head and controlling said cylinder, a rocker arm operating said valve, an opening extending through said rocker arm transversely of the valve operating movement of said rocker arm, a shaft extending through said opening, openings extending through said shaft and through said rocker arm on the inside and the outside of said shaft and intersecting said shaft openings, said intersecting openings in said rocker arm being larger than said intersecting opening in said shaft and being elongated in the plane of said valve operating movement of said rocker arm, a support for said rocker arm having a reduced end extending through said intersecting opening in said shaft and closely fitting said intersecting opening in said shaft and providing a shoulder adjacent said reduced end engaging a plane transverse surface on said shaft at the inner extremity of said intersecting opening in said shaft, a nut engaging the outer end of said reduced end and having a part projecting into the outside one of said elongated intersecting openings and engaging a transverse plane surface on said shaft at the outer end of said intersecting opening in said shaft, said elongated intersecting openings being of sufiicient length transversely of said shaft to permit said valve operating movement of said rocker arm on said shaft, said elongated intersecting opening in said rocker arm on the outside of said shaft being narrow enough longitudinally of said shaft to provide bearing engagement with said part of said nut projecting into said outside elongated intersecting opening, and means for operating said rocker arm for operating said valve.

3. In an engine having a block with a cylinder formed therein and a head for said cylinder and a valve mounted in said head and controlling said cylinder, a rocker arm operating said valve, an opening extending through said rocker arm transversely of the valve operating movement of said rocker arm, a shaft extending through said opening, openings extending throughsaid shaft and through said rocker arm on the inside and the outside of said shaft and intersecting said shaft opening, said intersecting openings in said rocker arm being larger than said intersecting opening in said shaft and being elongated in the plane of said valve operating movement of said rocker arm, a support for said rocker arm having a reduced end extending through said intersecting opening in said shaft and closely fitting said intersecting opening in said shaft and providing a shoulder adjacent said reduced end engaging a plane transverse surface on said shaft at the inner extremity of said intersecting opening in said shaft, a nut engaging the outer end of said reduced end and having a part projecting into the outside one of said elongated intersecting openings and engaging an annular plane surface on said shaft at the outer end of said intersecting opening in said shaft, said elongated intersecting openings being of sufiicient length transversely of said shaft to permit said valve operating movement of said rocker arm on said shaft, said elongated intersecting opening on the inside of said shaft being narrow enough longitudinally of said shaft to provide bearing engagement with said support inwardly of said reduced end, said elongated intersecting opening in said rocker arm on the outside of said shaft being narrow enough longitudinally of said shaft to provide bearing engagement with said partof said nut projecting into said outside elongated intersecting opening, and means for operating said rockerarm for operating said valve.

4. In an engine having a block with a row of cylinders formed therein and a head for said row of cylinders and valves mounted in said head and controlling said cylinders, rocker arms operating said valves, an opening extending through each of, said rocker arms transversely of the valve operating movement of said rocker arms, a shaft extending through said openings, openings extending through said shaft and through said rocker arms on the inside and outside of said shaft and intersecting said shaft openings, said intersecting openings in said rocker arms being larger than said intersecting openings in said shaft and being elongated in the planes of valve operating movement of said rocker arms, supports for said rocker arms having reduced ends extending through said intersecting openings in said shaft and closely fitting and intersecting openings in said shaft and providing shoulders adjacent said reduced ends engaging plane transverse surfaces on said shaft at the inner extremities of said intersecting openings in said shaft, nuts engaging the outer ends of said reduced ends and having parts projecting into the outside ones of said elongated intersecting openings and engaging transverse plane surfaces on said shaft at the outer ends of said intersecting openings in said shaft, said elongated intersecting openings being of suflicient length transversely of said shaft to permit valve operating movements of said rocker arms on said shaft, said elonagted intersecting openings on the inside of said shaft being narrow enough longitudinally of said shaft to .provide bearing engagements with said supports inwardly of said reduced ends, said elongated intersecting openings in said rocker arms on the outside of said shaft being narrow enough longitudinally of said shaft to provide bearing engagement with said parts of said nuts projecting into said outside elongated intersecting openings, and means for operating the rocker arms for op erating said valves.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,865,351 Mitchell Dec. 23, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 188,640 Great Britain Apr. 26, 1923 

